Napa Valley Weekend
by viper676
Summary: Updated 6-2-05. Nita and Kit are left home alone... and they discover something in both their hearts they had only a faint idea was there. Read, Review, and enjoy the fic.
1. 7 PM, Friday Evening

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Chapter One

7 PM, Friday Evening.

"Hold on. You're doing _what?_"

Carmela rolled her eyes. "Look, _mi hermano_," she said dryly. "Me, papa, and mama are going up to Maine for Lisa's graduation. We are gonna leave you here for the weekend so, if Nita needs you, you're here."

Kit rolled his eyes as he caught the double meaning of the phrase. "Look," he patiently explained. "There is absolutely _nothing_ between us. It's a nice, platonic relationship _for wizardry only_. Besides," he lied. "She's not my type."

His older sister snorted. "Yeah, yeah, it's all cool. Now, say that in the Speech."

Kit flinched. It was a very, very bad idea to lie in the Speech, as the consequences could and would be dire. Tom, Manhattan's Area Senior, had done it once when he was young. The runaway Peterbilt semi and loaded trailer had narrowly missed him three days later.

Carmela looked at him triumphantly. "So there _is_ something between you and her…" she crooned, her eyes sparkling.

"No, Carmela, it's not like that…"

"Ah. Say it in the Speech."

"But 'Mela, it-"

"In the Speech."

"But-"

"Nope. In. The. Speech."

Kit gave up and stomped out of the living room, retreating to his bedroom and locking the door behind him. He dived facefirst onto his bed, not wanting to think about the exchange that had just taken place between him and Carmela. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that the best way to remember something was to try and forget about it. It quickly came back to haunt him.

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What if there is_ something between us, and I've just been too stupid to notice it?_

Kit thought back to the last time he had talked with Nita. It had been a while… what… June? Yeah, mid June, the last day of school. She _had_ been looking at him strangely that day… but that was because of the smear of tomato sauce on his chin. But she had kept sneaking glances at him even after the sauce was gone…

"Aaaaaaughhhh…"

He buried his face in the pillow, lost in thought.

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Half a block away

"Wait, wait, wait. You're _abandoning_ me for _how_ long?"

Harry Callahan shrugged. "Look, it's only a flight out to Los Angeles and back. We shouldn't be more than three days."

Nita rolled her eyes. "Yeah… well…"

Her father looked sternly at her over the top of his reading glasses. "You want to argue?"

She wisely shut her mouth before she could cause any damage.

"Now. We're leaving you here in case Kit needs you… for whatever reason."

Nita was so immersed in her own disappointment, she didn't even catch the double meaning. She heaved a sigh and nodded. "All right."

Her father checked his watch. "Shoot. We gotta get going. The plane leaves for LAX in an hour… DAIRINE!"

Nita's younger sister tumbled downstairs, suitcase in hand, and stood grinning impudently at her elder sister.

"Now, Nita, don't go giving out free public displays of affection to everyone who passes our house…"

Nita flushed. "Look, I don't think of him that way," she hissed. "It's only for wizardry, nothing else."

Dairine shot a long-suffering glance at her father. "She still doesn't get it."

Her dad shrugged. "Oh well. Don't tease your sister like that. Anyways… well, see you Monday, Neets."

"Yeah… have fun at the convention," Nita glumly replied, her mind suddenly on Kit.

Her younger sister suddenly looked up at her, then smiled wickedly.

Nita blushed and blocked her thoughts as Dairine and her father shuffled out the door.

The oak-paneled door closed, leaving a ringing silence in the Callahan household as Nita went to go flop down on the sofa.

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I don't think about Kit that way, she thought determinedly as she listened to the truck's engine start up, then pull away from the curb.

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I don't.

Do I?

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Kit sighed as he heard the front door slam, kicking off what looked to be the start of a very lonely weekend.

"Oh, God, help me get through this weekend," he moaned.

With a groan of reluctance, he slipped downstairs to go start his Fairly OddParents marathon. Might as well get it over with now.

The weekend had officially started.

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Strangely enough, halfway through the first episode, Kit was already thinking about Nita. The way she always smelled like a Napa Valley vineyard on a warm summer day… the way her hair fell to her shoulders in beautiful reddish-gold waves in the afternoon sunlight… the way her tears made him want to change the world so it didn't hurt her any more…

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Oh my God… am I really crushing on her…?

He snorted aloud. _Yeah… even if I am… it's not like she'd like me back…_

Kit shook his head and turned his attention back to the TV screen.

With a faint smile, he realized this was the same episode they had watched together on a snowy winter day much like this… the family out (stuck in traffic), siblings with the parents, only the two of them together. And the heater had broken.

So, with a jacket each, they had snuggled together for warmth. Kit had been surprised at how warm her body was, even in twenty degree weather.

And then Carmela had burst in and ruined everything.

With a frown this time, Kit wondered if that was the reason he'd found himself watching The Fairly OddParents more and more. Because it reminded him of Nita?

Okay, that was just wrong.

Looking disgusted, Kit flipped the channel to TNT, and Top Gun. Ah, finally, a good movie.

He was just settling back to enjoy a Corvette commercial that had interrupted the movie when the phone rang.

Uttering a groan of reluctance, he got to his feet and walked over to the phone.

"Hello, Rodriguez residence."

"Um… hi. Can I speak to Kit?"

__

Nita.

Kit's heart skipped a beat as he thought hard about what to say.

"Hey, Neets. It's me."

"Kit? Whoa… you sound different… more… I dunno… _mature_. Not like your old self."

"Are you saying that I was, before, an immature idiot?"

"Well… not so much immature… but, yeah, sometimes you were an idiot…"

Kit smiled affectionately. "You were, too."

She laughed. "Tell me about it. Where've you been all summer? It's the middle of August!"

"At home, vegetating and being bored. What's up?"

"Nothing much… you?"

She was skirting a question. And Kit thought he knew what it was.

"Same. Folks are driving up to Maine for Lisa's grad. Look, I know what you called for. Wanna come over?"

"Sure." She sounded relieved. "How did you know?"

"I know you too well."

He caught the faint mental imprint of a grin from Nita. "I'll be there in about ten minutes. I'm gonna walk… need the exercise."

Kit laughed. "Nita, you're a stick. You don't need exercise."

"Huh. You're a guy. What do you know about girls?"

"I know a lot… more than you might think, Neets."

She laughed. "See you in a few."

"Uh-huh."

She hung up, and Kit slowly dropped the phone onto its cradle.

Heaving a sigh, he returned to the movie to wait for Nita.

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Twelve minutes and fifty-two seconds later, a knock sounded on the door.

"Kit, open up. It's me… I know you're in there…"

A grin spreading unbidden across his face, Kit opened the door.

Nita grinned at him from the doorstep, the sinking sun turning her normally auburn hair into a shimmering ocean the color of autumn leaves. Her gray eyes sparkled as she hugged Kit. "Long time no see!" she chirped, holding him at arm's length, looking him over. "Man… you've grown a bit. I thought I was taller than you…?"

"You never were, Neets."

She laughed and gave him a good shove as she slipped past him into the house. Kit shut the door behind her as she bounced happily into the kitchen, dropping her purse onto the table before turning back to her partner in wizardry.

"So, besides generally growing a mold coat and gathering dust on the couch, what've you been up to this summer?"

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Thinking about you…

"Nothing much. What about you?"

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Dreaming of you, Kit…

"Reading through the manual… going to the library…" _And looking for advice on relationships…_

"That all?"

"Just about."

Kit grinned. "Can I get you anything to eat, drink…?"

"Anything that isn't white and fuzzy and that doesn't twitch of its own accord when you look at it," she retorted, a grin forming on her face.

Kit's laugh echoed around the inside of the fridge as he carefully removed a large ceramic dish.

"Mama's killer Arriz con Pollo."

Nita did her best not to drool as Kit removed the lid, filling the kitchen with a savory aroma.

"Ooooooh, _Kit_! I'm starving…"

Kit wafted the fumes toward Nita, who gently slapped him. He grinned. popped the dish into the microwave, punched a few buttons, and joined Nita in front of the TV.

Over the gentle hum of the microwave in the background, and a Hyundai ad's claims in front of them, Nita seemed a bit nervous. For one, she kept biting her lip and glancing over at Kit, for another, she was oddly quiet. Lack of her customary cup of tea, perhaps. Or maybe… maybe something else.

Maybe.

The microwave dinged, and Kit got up to grab the dish and dole it out into a pair of bowls.

Nita chose that moment to pose her question.

"Hey, Kit?"

"What's up, Neets?"

She took a breath.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush here. Kit, do you feel like there's something… between us?"

In the kitchen, Kit froze, one hand on the door of the microwave. His heart pounding, he strove to keep his voice casual.

"Well… yeah, we're friends, right?"

"No… Kit, you know what I mean. Something… something that's… _deeper_… than 'Just Friends'."

Kit stared at the steaming Arroz con Pollo dish in the microwave, his mind and heart racing.

He was sorely tempted to give her the same answer that he had given Carmela, but something told him it probably wouldn't be good to say that to Nita.

So he answered truthfully.

"Well… a little," he said slowly.

The tension between them deflated like a popped balloon.

"So do I, Kit…" Nita murmured softly.

Kit froze again, one hand on the platter of chicken and rice.

"You… you do?"

"Yeah…"

Kit flushed. "Oh. Okay…"

"That's okay, though… isn't it?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah. I guess…"

"Kit, give me a straight answer. Yes or no?"

"_Yes_."

"Okay…"

There was a very uncomfortable silence as Kit spooned the food into the twin bowls, then carried them over to where Nita sat on the carpet and joined her.

Nita, her arms around her knees, her chin resting in the valley between her knees, sighed as she looked at the steam curling up from the bowls.

"I missed you, Kit," she said lightly, as if nothing had happened.

"Same here… missed _you_, Neets…"

Nita laid her head on his shoulder, and Kit smiled. Somehow, she always found the right spot on his shoulder.

She smelled good, too… like a California vineyard in the middle of summer…

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Somehow, Nita's head ended up in Kit's lap, and Kit contentedly toyed with Nita's auburn hair as she watched the F-15 cruise into the air, the credits for _Top Gun_ rolling in the foreground.

Nita looked from the screen up into Kit's eyes, searching his brown irises for an answer.

"How much is there between us?" she inquired curiously.

Kit looked at her, then leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on the hollow of her neck that took her breath away.

She came back to her senses, and smiled up at Kit, her eyes sparkling. "That much, huh…?"

Kit looked slightly shocked at the fact that their relationship was proceeding so quickly, but mutely nodded and managed a smile back.

In response, Nita leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

She smiled sleepily at him as he blinked, trying to get his mind around the fact that Nita Callahan had just kissed him.

Nita grinned mischievously up at him, her gray eyes sparkling, then turned her attention back to the TV, and _American Graffiti_, lifting her head up off his lap and settling for snuggling with him as he adjusted to the feel of having kissed his partner in wizardry. It was strange… but it just seemed so… _right_.

Kit sighed, then placed an arm around Nita.

"So you're okay with this new development then…?"

Nita looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "What d'you think, Sherlock?"

Kit grinned, ruffled her hair, ducked a slap, and snuggled up to her for a comfortable evening of movies and Arriz con Pollo.

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"Ow… Nita… that's my foot you just stepped on…"

"Sorry. Where do I sleep?"

"You can use the guest room."

"Thanks, Kit… tell you what. You can come on over to our place tomorrow… show you what I did to my room…"

Her offer was punctuated by a huge yawn.

"All right. Good night, Kit… talk to you in the morning."

Both teens went to bed with thoughts of their eventful evening buzzing in their heads.

Ah, summer.

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A/N: I don't know how good this was… read and review, please? I'm proud of it… dunno about you all, though.

I know the romance happened a bit quickly… but… well, I dunno.

Napa Valley is in Central/Northern California, and is famed for its vineyards.


	2. 8 AM, Saturday Morning

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Review Replies:

Nonny: Good, good question. Umm… no convincing answer for that… lol.

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CrEsCeNt Mo0n19: Aaaah… alternating capitols. Nope, not a one-shot. And, hey, maybe I will. Thanks for the idea, though.

Ashgrl: Yes'm.

Fireblade K'Chona: Thanks, hope this is a bit more casual… laid-back… maybe a bit pointless…

Anyway…on with the story.

Chapter Two

8 AM, Saturday Morning

Kit poked his head into the guest room, expecting to see Nita wide awake, and on the computer, perhaps. His expression softened considerably when he noticed she was still sleeping, contentedly curled up into a neat little ball, her hair falling perfectly across her face in a reddish-gold halo. Kit's heart skipped a beat as he pulled up a desk chair to her bedside and sat down, resting an elbow on the bed, just watching her as she slept, contemplating how wonderfully blessed he was with a friend like her.

And, of course, how cute she looked when she was dozing.

He was captivated by her hair in particular; the way it formed a perfect halo around her face. The way its gentle waves caught the light and drained it down into pools of liquid gold, surrounded by hills of auburn. And especially the personality it reflected; a wonderful, if somewhat short-tempered, now-vivacious individual, who just happened to be his best friend and crush of four years.

She stirred and muttered something in her sleep, rolling over onto her stomach and cracking an eye open to look at Kit.

"Hey, Kit…" she murmured sleepily. "Whatcha need?"

Kit shrugged. "I dunno. I thought you just might want to know it's about two in the afternoon…"

Nita sat bolt upright to look at the clock, then glared daggers at Kit.

"Since when do you get up at eight?"

He shrugged. "You've been sleeping for a little more than forever…"

She rolled her eyes. "What, you were watching me sleep or something?"

The blush that rose to Kit's face was all she needed to see.

"_Kit_," she shrieked, her face coloring as well, and not just with amusement. "You're a dead man, you know that?"

He grinned patronizingly at her. "You're gonna have to catch me first."

She lunged at him.

He was too fast, nimbly dodging her and launching himself into the desk chair, spinning neatly back in front of the desk from which it came from.

He impudently stuck his tongue out at her.

She grinned and tossed the pillow halfheartedly at him.

Kit caught it easily and flung it straight back at her, knocking her over, laughing.

Nita, her auburn waves in tousled disarray now, sighed and plopped back down onto the pillow, vaguely aware that she was still in her pajamas.

With wands and wizards' hats sprinkled all over them.

Kit seemed to have noticed this, as he was turning slowly purple with suppressed laughter.

Nita rolled her eyes and pointed at the door. "Out."

"Why should I? It's my house."

Nita went pink. "Because I need to change…?"

Kit flushed and retreated without another word, closing the door firmly behind him.

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It was but the work of a few minutes for him to whip up a small breakfast for the two of them; eggs, toast, and leftover fried rice. As an afterthought, he grabbed the peanut jar from the counter and added a good heap of them to Nita's plate and slid it onto the table, followed closely by his own.

After waiting for nearly ten minutes for Nita, he dutifully made his way up to her room and knocked.

"Hey, Nita?"

No answer.

"Neets?"

Silence.

Kit carefully pushed the door open.

Two things happened at once.

One, Kit was caught and dragged into the room. Two, the door slammed and locked behind him.

He struggled in Nita's firm grip, cursing his stupidity for entering the room without looking for traps first.

"I have some _revenge_ I need to extract here," Nita purred in his ear. Kit gulped.

He knew exactly what was in store for him.

"Um… Nita… can't we just… talk this over?" he inquired as her hands moved toward his stomach.

She assumed a look of mock thought. "Ummmm… _no_. Just hold still…"

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Kit rubbed his aching sides as Nita looked smugly at him.

"When did I tell you I was ticklish on the upper left side of my stomach?" he inquired.

Nita shrugged. "Dunno," she said, sliding into her place at the table. "A little bird told me."

Kit made a mental note to himself to remove the dissociating ion-particle accelerator from Carmela's room as soon as possible. She was giving out potentially dangerous information to Nita.

"Kit?"

"What?"

"Kindly lend me your neck so I can wring it."

"Who, _me_?" Kit said, doing his best to look innocent.

He tried unsuccessfully to avoid a flying peanut.

"You _know_ I hate peanuts…" Nita muttered.

"What, you never told me…"

"Oh, yes, I did. Remember Tualha? And our visit to Ireland?"

"And your boyfriend Ronan…?"

Nita went pink at that. "He _wasn't_ my _boyfriend_, Kit… honestly, you can be _so_ immature…"

"See, I _thought_ you were tired of me…"

She socked him, but not too hard.

He merely grinned infuriatingly at her.

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Boys, Nita thought.

Kit rolled his eyes and began eating.

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A/N: Yes, yes, I know it was short. But it served its purpose.


	3. 8:30 PM, Saturday Evening

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Chapter Three

8:30 PM, Saturday Evening

Nita lay outside on her lawn with Kit, gently snuggling up to him for warmth as they both gazed up into the night sky, surrounded by the nocturnal symphony of crickets heralding the night, occasionally squinting as a passing car's headlights washed over them.

A day of watching TV and chatting about wizardry had managed to culminate in this. What strange turns life took.

With a sigh of contentment, Nita shifted positions, strategically placing her head on Kit's left shoulder, allowing him to better toy with her curtain of slightly tousled auburn hair.

She felt him tense up beside her, then relax as she took his hand in hers.

"Kit?" she ventured into the silence between them.

"Mmhmm…?"

"I don't know what to do about this…"

Kit looked down at Nita, who was gazing anxiously back at him, her gray eyes alight with a mixture of emotions.

"…about what?" he asked, immediately attentive at the undertone of worry in her voice.

Nita gave him a look as she sat up. "You _know_ what I mean… our relationship."

She paused, contemplating what she was about to say, then continued.

"Kit… I don't know what'll happen if… if we admit that we're… well… in… you know… with one another."

The last four or five words came out in a broken rush, as if Nita was eager to get her sentence over with. Realizing she must have appeared heartless to Kit, she hung her head in shame.

But her head jerked back up as Kit sighed.

"Neets… look, I don't, either. I mean… well, does anyone? Name one person who goes into a relationship knowing exactly what to expect. Just one."

When she hung her head once more and remained silent, he continued. "Nita… look. We've gotten ourselves into _tons_ upon _tons_ of messes. And we've found our way out of each one. If love happens to be one of those screwups, well, then, we'll find our way out of it."

Nita looked up at him, and Kit was shocked to find tears in her eyes.

"But… what if this all comes out to be a real mess… Kit, remember, the Lone One's still out there, just waiting to cause havoc… and where better to cause it than a relationship?"

Understanding what Nita needed, he sat up, and took her in his arms.

"Nita… I'm here. For you. If anything goes wrong, I'm always here. And I always will be. Forever."

Nita couldn't help but believe him. She relaxed against his chest, letting her head rest gently on one of his shoulders.

Kit, on the other hand, was amazed at how well their bodies fit together. Two pieces of the puzzle of their lives, possibly placed together.

And to think. He'd spent years upon years looking for love everywhere _but_ Nita.

But here they were, cuddling together underneath the night sky.

Suddenly, it all seemed strangely familiar to Kit, as if this scene was something he'd known about all his life, but had refused to admit to himself.

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What's so wrong about crushing on your best friend? Kit thought to himself. _You're still different from her… not like she's part of your family or anything._

With that piece of information safely categorized in the back of his mind, he looked over to a stray daisy that had invaded the lawn in Mr. Callahan's absence. Very gently, he took the flower and tucked it behind Nita's ear, where it contrasted nicely with her hair.

Nita reached up and touched the daisy, breaking into a shy smile as she looked up at Kit.

"Thanks," she murmured, and leaned up to kiss him.

When they broke apart a few seconds later, Nita promptly snuggled back up to Kit. Returning her head to its niche on his shoulder, she sighed and whispered, "Looks like rain tomorrow, huh?"

Kit continued playing with her hair as he looked up at the night sky and nodded. "Yeah… it does."

"Rain on a Sunday morning," Nita murmured sleepily. "What to do…?"

Kit shrugged. "We'll find out tomorrow. Now… you wanna get up, or do I have to carry you upstairs?"

Nita opened an eyes and looked at him. "You're not strong eno-"

She was cut off as Kit grabbed her and heaved her into the air, catching her and carting her off towards the house.

Nita playfully smacked him a few times, but gave up as he dumped her unceremoniously onto her bed.

"See you in the morning," he grinned at her.

Nita pouted. "What, no good night kiss?" she inquired teasingly.

Kit rolled his eyes at her. "You don't deserve one," he needled.

Nita grinned at him. "Oh, come on…"

He chuckled as he leaned in and met her lips.

"Night, Neets," he murmured as they broke apart.

She blushed prettily. "See you in the morning."

A drop of rain landed with a _splip_ on one of Mr. Callahan's prized roses as thunder rolled overhead.

It was going to be a very interesting Sunday.


	4. 6 AM, Sunday Morning

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A/N: Wow, I didn't think this story would be so highly liked… Thanks go out to all my reviewers, especially the very helpful Reana, and the consistent Fireblade K'Chona…

NitaGirl99- Yeah, the chapters really should be a bit longer… I'll have to work on that. I'm glad you enjoyed this fic so far…

Elfin2- Of course.

TCF- Right now.

Reana- Thank you… yes, critical is good. But being non-critical when you're really critical is good, too.

CrEsCeNtMoOn19- Trials of the Heart? Hmmm… Idea for a sequel coming on…

Fireblade K'Chona- Of course. I'm not the kind of author to abandon my readers… unless, of course, the story is downright horrid…

This Chapter is dedicated to yayalulu, a great friend, writing consultant, and person to be around. Thanks, lulu, for everything!

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Chapter Four

Six AM, Sunday Morning

The first thing Nita saw when she opened her eyes was the none-too-comforting red glow of her digital alarm clock on her nightstand. And she stared in utter disbelief.

"What am I doing up at six in the morning" she moaned to herself, rolling over onto her stomach and staring out the window, contemplating the mysteries of life, love, and malfunctioning biological clocks.

The rain drummed a steady tattoo against the windowpane, dripping down to add to the sibilant hiss that rose up from the sidewalks slick with the downpour. A sudden roar of thunder shook the Callahan house, rattling the windows in the frames, and Nita groaned as the lights flickered twice, then went out.

A sudden, hauntingly dead silence filled the house, causing Nita's ears to ring in the unusual quiet.

She sighed. "There goes the microwave… so much for a quick breakfast…" she muttered, half to herself.

"What was that about breakfast?"

Startled, she whipped her head around and received a cricked neck for her efforts.

"Owwww… morning, Kit. Sleep well?"

Kit sat down beside her on the bed, bouncing experimentally and causing it to creak in protest.

He rolled his eyes at the bed and shrugged. "Not too well… I guess I finally dropped off at about two… You snore really loud, you know that?"

Nita threw a look at him, and, as an afterthought, a pillow as well, knocking him over.

Scrambling to sit on top of him, she looked down at his smirking face, struggling to hide the wide grin threatening to take over her face.

"Girls don't snore, Kit. It's just heavy breathing. _You_, on the other hand…"

She prodded him in the ribs, and he flinched away, laughing.

Nita raised a mischievous eyebrow.

"Ticklish, huh? Well, we'll just have to change that…"

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l l l l l l l l 

Kit, red-faced from his laughter and thrashing, glared at Nita from across her living room.

"How do you know every single one of my sensitive spots?" he inquired irritably.

Nita shrugged with all the innocence she could muster. "It's a girl thing," she said offhandedly.

Behind his back, Kit picked up a pillow from the couch.

"Really. Interesting. Well… um, Neets?"

"What?"

"Catch."

Nita had no time at all to react before Kit was pinning her to the ground, sitting on top of the pillow atop her stomach.

He grinned wickedly down at her. "It just so happens Dairine and I had a small… conversation… about you the other day… for more information to add into the matrix of the new mass-transit spell… and, look what she gave me."

Storm gray eyes went wide as Kit brushed auburn strands of hair from behind Nita's ear.

"Why you…" she got out, before Kit slowly ran a finger down the skin behind her ear. Nita shuddered, then shrieked and squirmed under him, laughing uncontrollably all the while.

She successfully threw him off, and she heaved herself to her feet, gasping.

"Kit… you're a dead man. You know that?"

He shrugged in that amazingly irritating way he had. "Like I said before, you're gonna have to catch me first."

Shaking her head smilingly, she punched him lightly in the shoulder and went to go see about her shower.

**__**

l l l l l l l l 

Kit looked up from holding a match to the right rear gas burner and grinned at Nita.

"_Hola_, Neets. Seems you finally woke up… nice towel, by the way."

Nita glared at him, unwrapping the towel from her head and letting her wet hair cascade down her back.

"Happy now?"

Kit's gaze seemed transfixed on a dry section of her hair. "No _way_ it just dries like that… does it?"

Nita blushed. "Yeah, it does. What's it to you?"

"It's beautiful," Kit blurted, before he could stop himself.

His partner in wizardry went an even deeper shade of red. "Thanks… oh, here, let me make breakfast… go home and take a shower. Powers know you need one," she needled him affectionately, poking him in the ribs as he gratefully handed her breakfast duties and passed her. He glared at her, then rolled his eyes and dropped a transit circle.

The gas flame sputtered in indignation as the air imploded on where Kit had been moments ago, creating a gentle breeze that stirred the curtains.

Nita sighed wistfully, then tucked her hair behind her ears and set about making breakfast.

**__**

l l l l l l l l 

8 AM, Saturday Morning

Breakfast was a leisurely affair, consisting of eggs, bacon, Callahan hashbrowns, salsa, and, in Nita's opinion, a little too much teasing from Kit about her slightly burnt hashbrowns.

But, Kit being Kit, they both knew he thought well of her cooking skills.

Through another mouthful of hashbrowns, Kit sighed. "So, what's on the agenda today?" he inquired, looking expectantly at Nita.

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full. And I'm not sure. What with the power out… I'm not sure I _want_ to do much… maybe go for a walk."

"In the _rain_?"

"Yeah… with no shields."

"Nita, I don't like rain. I thought you knew that."

"Oh, Kit, stop being a spoilsport… It'll be _fun_," Nita persisted, giving him the big-soulful-eyes treatment she'd learned from Ponch.

"Aaaagh, _Nita!_ You really _do_ know me too well… Oh, all right…"

His friend brightened considerably. "Well, okay, then. Let's go…"

"_Now_?"

"C'mon, Kit…"

**__**

l l l l l l l l 

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A/N: Okay, maybe not a good place to end… but it's eleven thirty, and I'm dead tired. School is approaching fast, and, well… my update intervals might decrease a bit. But, then again, they might increase, due to a lot of beta readers…

8-30-04: Aaaagh, just got through reading this online, and found out the upload somehow erased all my transitions… fixed that. Thanks go out to the current three reviewers, and I hope more will come soon to meet the update quota of five.


	5. 8:45 AM, Sunday Morning

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I never liked the rain until I walked through it with you  
Every thunder cloud that came was one more I might not get through  
On the darkest day there's always light and now I see it too  
But I never liked the rain until I walked through it with you  
-Clint Black, 'Like the Rain'

Chapter Five

8:15 AM, Sunday Morning

"Remind me, again, _why_ I'm doing this?" Kit sighed, casting a long-suffering glance at Nita, who was trying to unstick the zipper on her favorite sweater.

She looked evilly at him, a grin on her face. "Because I'm your wizardry partner, and I've put up with _you_ for Powers-know-how-long."

"What's to say _I_ haven't had to put up with _you_, huh?"

He smiled slightly as Nita rolled her gray eyes at him, affectionately smacking him in the shoulder hard enough to knock him backwards a few paces.

"Me," she replied with a toss of her head, flicking her auburn ponytail over her shoulder and pulling the zipper up to her chin, all in one graceful movement.

She grinned at Kit and opened the door.

"C'mon, Kit… let's go for a walk."

_l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_

They walked in silence toward the dim crimson glow of the distant streetlight, twin silhouettes nearly invisible against the dramatically darkening sky as another raincloud rolled over Manhattan.

Nita heaved a sigh as she trudged onwards, her gaze wandering from her worn Adidases to Kit's battered Nikes, then back to her own shoes, only too aware of the uncomfortable silence hanging in the air between them.

Why, _why_ did her mind choose that exact moment to go blank?

As she chased her thoughts around inside her head, trying furiously to sort them into some kind of order, Kit sighed, and her mind blissfully wiped once more, concentrating only on their proximity to one another.

"Nita… " he began, something like uncertainty hanging in the undertone. Nita didn't hear that often. She slowed to a halt and looked expectantly at Kit, fearing the worst.

He looked up from his sneakers at her, then sighed again and glanced over at a nearby truck.

"Neets," he began again, his voice definitely carrying the same note of hesitancy. "I was thinking… last night… about what you said on our relationship."

"Yeah…" Nita said slowly. "What about it…?"

Kit stared at her, and suddenly, one thought made itself very, very prominent in his mind, despite all his good intentions.

__

Wow… she looks really nice in that sweater…

Nita cocked her head to one side curiously. "Kit? You okay?"

Kit desperately tried to sort out his furiously buzzing mind, to no avail. In his sheer panic, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I love you."

Nita froze, the L-word ringing in her ears.

__

He admitted it… she thought, waiting for the panic to set in.

Instead, it never came.

"Kit…" she began awkwardly, at a loss for words.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them, during which the clear notes of a piano from a nearby home drifted between them.

Nita sighed suddenly, a small smile gracing her pretty features as she listened to the notes of the piano weave themselves into song.

"Pachebel's Canon in D…" she murmured half to herself, her eyes alight with warm memories. "Mom's song…"

Kit watched her, then smiled and touched her shoulder gently, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Dreamer," he said quietly, pulling her close. "May I have this dance?"

__

Dreamer. He called me Dreamer… Mom's pet name for me…

Nita's heart skipped a few beats, and she smiled through sudden, unexplained tears at him. "Of course," she replied, grinning from ear to ear as he took her hand in his, slipping one about her slim waist.

And they revolved slowly on the spot, Kit marveling at the grace with which Nita moved as they waltzed to the joyful serenade of the piano. The world around them slowly faded away as they sank into their own environment, the music propelling them along as they danced, sharing thoughts and emotions that no words in either English or the Speech could accurately describe.

Kit couldn't believe he had never thought of this before. It all fit together perfectly. No wonder the Powers that Be had partnered them together… it was a blessing. A blessing he might never have found if it hadn't been for wizardry.

Then, the music and the exhilaration of the dance caught up with him, and his mind went blank as the music washed over Nita and him, speaking to them of love, of life, of happiness, all within four inches of the two teens.

Nita, her eyes bright with joy, love, and a few other emotions Kit couldn't identify, paused for a moment, pushing up against Kit as far as she could.

__

Kit? she inquired, her mindvoice similarly blazing with love.

__

Neets?

I love you, she murmured, and leaned up to kiss him.

Their lips met, and the music exploded in their ears, joyful and lively as they deepened the kiss, knowing, in their hearts, that all previous thoughts on their relationship were incorrect.

__

This is the way it was supposed to be, Nita thought, her eyes closed, Kit's mouth warm and welcoming against hers. _I love him. It's just the fact that I was too stupid to realize it._

With a contented sigh, she placed her arms around Kit, not ever wanting to let go as the piano's notes sang on, serenading the newly found couple as they broke apart, huge smiles gracing both of their faces.

Nita looked shyly at the ground and scuffed one sneaker on the wet concrete. "Looks like I'll have to put up with you now," she smiled at Kit.

Kit grinned and pulled her close. "Would you have it any other way?" he asked, prodding her playfully in the ribs.

She laughed softly in response and nudged him.

"C'mon, Kit… let go of me… stoppit, that tickles!"

Kit grinned down at her, scratching her behind the ear once more, causing her to burst into laughter again and belt him a moderately good punch in the shoulder.

"Ooof… oh, all right, Dreamer… have it your way…"

She smiled. "Dreamer. It's been a long time since someone called me that…"

Kit ruffled her hair affectionately. "Let's go."

Nita laughed, and leaned up to kiss him once more.

_l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_ _l_

****

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long… I couldn't get what I wanted down on paper quite correctly, and this is the ninth try. It's still not completely what I had in mind, but bear with me. I'm currently plotting an idea out for the next chapter…in hopes that it will be better than this one.

Wow, I'm surprised… I asked for five reviews, and I got twelve, maybe thirteen. Thanks go out to _all_ my reviewers… and thank you for your time. I can only hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope the next one will turn out better.

Thanks!

Viper676


	6. 10:45 AM, Sunday Morning

****

Review Replies:

Mysticangel1: Thanks a lot… lol, there are fics better than this one out there… don't feel ashamed of your fics, they're really good. Thanks for your comments… hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and, I just wanted to say thank you _so_ much for reviewing my very first story on this site… You don't know how much it meant to me… lol, that was my very first review… Thank you.

Crescent moon19: I suppose they _can_ be better than that last one… I didn't like it at all… lol, thanks, it's good to know I'm not being abandoned by my reviewers… Umm, for your question on 'Dreamer…' look at page 27 of 'So you Want to Be A Wizard'. It's there. Oh, and, by the way… I read reviews as well… lol, it really does help!

Fireblade K'Chona- Thanks…!

Teresina Dragonwagon- lol, thanks!

Teky1389- Well… Chapter Five was a struggle for me to write. I couldn't get what I wanted out onto the paper, and I didn't want to abandon you guys, so I worked on it for about a week, then posted it. I just hope this one's better…

__

Chapter Six

10:45 AM, Sunday Morning

****

I Pray that it's raining on Sunday  
Stormin' like crazy  
We'll hide under the covers all afternoon  
Baby whatever comes Monday  
Can take care of itself  
'Cause we've got better things that we can do  
When it's raining on Sunday  
-Keith Urban, 'Raining on Sunday'

Nita was curled up on her bed, her manual in front of her, absentmindedly scanning a page on the different forms of timeslides as Kit toyed with her hair, his chin resting on her shoulder, gazing out the bedroom window.

With a sigh, she gave up, closed her manual, and slid it onto her nightstand, opting instead to close her eyes and enjoy Kit's company.

There was a loud crash from outside, and Nita instinctively pushed up against Kit, seeking reassurance. It came to her in the form of his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She snuggled up against him, strategically placing her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as they lay there together, watching the storm rage on outside.

Nita, lulled by the soothing noises of the rain and Kit's heartbeat, was half asleep when Kit gave her a poke just above her right hip.

She opened an eye and glared at him.

"What?" she inquired somewhat irritably, having been rather close to sleep.

He grinned. "Didn't want you falling asleep on my arm… move your head, yeah?"

Nita, recalcitrant, pushed her head down on his arm until he winced. "Okay, okay, keep it there," Kit rescinded, rolling his eyes as Nita settled back down, closing her eyes again. Kit felt a smile spreading itself unbidden across his face as he watched her trying to drift off, finally admitting defeat and opening her eyes.

Kit ruffled her hair affectionately until she slapped him away, grinning. "_Kiiiiiiiit_, stoppit!"

Nita smoothed her hair out, then tossed it over her shoulder, effectively smacking Kit in the face and quieting him. She nudged his knee a little to the right, then plopped her head down in his lap, staring up at the ceiling as he resumed toying with her hair.

A long silence fell between them as both pondered the meaning of their relationship.

"You saw the section in the manual on Wizardry and Emotional Relationships, right?" Kit asked softly, examining a strand of reddish-gold hair.

Nita sighed. "Yeah… I did…"

"You think we're ready for a relationship _now_?"

His partner in wizardry and best friend grinned at him. "What do you think, _Kitty_?"

Kit playfully glared at her. "You be quiet. Only my family can call me that."

"What's to say I won't be part of your family?" Nita asked jokingly.

There was an abrupt silence, during which Nita went bright red. "Oh… _oh…_ um… I didn't mean it… like that," she finished lamely, brushing the drops of uncomfortable sweat off her forehead.

Kit laughed, still sounding a bit disconcerted. "Yeah… um…well, then… I don't suppose I can leave then…"

Nita attempted a nervous smile. "No, you can't…"

An awkward silence fell, during which Nita fiercely berated herself for being stupid, before she spoke up to change the subject.

"Ice cream?" she inquired.

Kit smiled. "Can't live without a sugar rush these days, can you, Neets? Gonna blow up like a balloon, you will…"

She groaned and socked him in the arm. "You really don't understand us girls, do you, Kit?"

Her longtime friend treated her to one of his most infuriating grins. "Maybe not, but you know you love me."

Nita laughed and followed Kit downstairs, perfectly content at being in love with her best friend.

What strange turns life took.

_I_ _I_ _I_ _I_ _I_ _I_ _I_ _I_ _I_ _I_

****

A/N: Just wanted to get this out… school starts Sept. 9 for me… Oh, and I've decided to include a preview for my upcoming fic in this chapter… it _is_ a one-shot, so… here goes nothing.

The Dance

A battered-looking Ford pickup bounced to a halt in the gravel lot in front of Annie Callahan's prized ranch Ballyvolan, its single working headlight spotlighting a section of a dilapidated wooden fence, worn with age, its white paint chipping away in large flakes.

And then Annie herself was standing beside the truck, leaning casually on the rusty driver's side door, nodding to the driver through the nonexistent right window.

"Evening, sir. Would you like a cuppa?"

The driver jerked his thumb over one shoulder, gesturing to the bed of his pickup. "No thanks, Annie, not tonight, anyways…I came out here to work with the Spear Luin…"

Annie shrugged noncommittally. "Who am I to stop you, then?" she sighed, and after nodding good-night, paced back towards the house, evidently to finish washing the teacups.

The driver sighed and, swinging the door open, gingerly slammed it behind him.

Determinedly, he trudged out across the gravel lot, his footsteps crunching as he approached the fence bordering on the fields.

And he froze, recalling a night some time ago, when he and someone special to him at the time had waltzed, dancing to the nocturnal churring of the crickets, and the occasional chirp from an owl.

__

To be continued… possibly Saturday.


	7. Noon, Sunday

__

Chapter Seven

Noon, Sunday

****

I could not ask for more than this time together

I could not ask for more than this time with you

And every prayer has been answered

Every dream I've had's come true

Yeah, right here in this moment

Is right where I'm meant to be

Here with you

Here with me

-Edwin McCain/Sara Evans, 'And I Could Not Ask For More'

Nita sighed contentedly, her head on Kit's shoulder, her own shoulders wrapped in the warm embrace of Kit's right arm, watching the fire flicker and dance in the hearth, bathing the living room in a golden glow.

Her gray eyes flickered sleepily in the firelight, accompanied by a small noise that immediately caught Kit's full attention.

"Neets?" he murmured, grinning affectionately at her as she unsuccessfully tried to stifle a huge yawn.

"Tired _already_?" he needled, prodding her gently in the side. With a squeak of surprise, she jumped, nearly dislocating Kit's arm, then gave him a gentle smack on the side of the head.

"_Kiiiiiit_," she groaned, rolling her eyes exasperatedly, though a smile threatened to spread across her face. "Cut it _out_… please?"

He appeared to consider it for a moment, then playfully ruffled her hair and pulled her close as she squeaked an indignant protest.

They sat together for some time, staring into the fire's depths as emotions whirled between them, a dazzling array of color flowing from one open mind to the other as they gazed into the depths of the fire, painstakingly contemplating their next movements.

Kit was the first to break the silence, twisting his head around to gently kiss Nita on the forehead, taking her breath away for a few moments as he murmured in her ear.

"Isn't it past lunch?"

Nita rolled her eyes, struggling to keep her face straight. Leave it to Kit to think of his stomach at a tender moment like this.

Kit made a face at her, and she burst out laughing.

"Oh, c'mon, Kit," she groaned. "I don't wanna get up… I'm comfortable here."

They glowered at each other for a few moments before Kit sighed and settled back down, returning his arm to its former position around Nita's slim shoulders and drawing her close on the loveseat.

Smiling softly, she snuggled up to him, placing her head on his chest and listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.

Kit let his gaze wander over her hair, the firelight enhancing its reddish-gold glow, perfecting her angelic image in his eyes.

And to think, he had never noticed her as a girl, never dreamed of kissing her, up until the end of the school year. She had just been _there_, not too conspicuous, not too insignificant. She had just been… _there_.

Indeed, it was incredible what you could discover when life took a surprising careen towards the new and unexpected.

Slightly weary from their walk and their culminating dance in the rain, Nita drifted off towards sleep, the last thing she heard being the crackle of the fire, and the beating of Kit's heart in her ears.

****

A/N: I'm sorry it was so short, but I've been out of my writing niche for far too long. Between school, friends, and a very unexpected discovery, I haven't had too much time to write. But English is going my way, and I'll try and work on updating more often. I'm not too sure about the quality of this chapter compared to my earlier ones, but this is the absolute best I could do with this chapter. Apologies if this is below par for me, and I'll try and update soon. Guaranteed before Halloween.

8th grade is… interesting so far.

-viper676


	8. 3:44 PM, Sunday Afternoon

Chapter Nine 

_3:35 PM, Sunday Afternoon_

_  
_Someone was stroking her hair.

Nita yawned, stretched her legs out, and generally took her time in opening her eyes.

"Dad, go _away_," she muttered, still under the semi-stupor sleep had laid upon her.

There was a soft, pleasantly deep chuckle from somewhere behind her head, and she was aware of a pair of arms gently pulling her close to another body.

No, not Dad, then, she decided.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and, after a moment of staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, glanced up at the person who held her in their gentle, soothing arms.

A shiver of contentment immediately coursed through her veins as she remembered where she was, and whom she was snuggled up on the couch with.

…Or, rather, hanging half-on, half-off on the couch with. And she was only able to stare at the ceiling because her head was resting against Kit's chest, lying on top of his heart.

"Mmmmmmmmm…."

She sighed happily and cuddled up closer to her partner in wizardry, who willingly obliged her by lowering his lips to her forehead.

Another noise, this time of protest, as Kit shifted position, trying to fit his whole five foot nine form onto the loveseat, a virtually impossible task even without the girl he loved cutting off his blood circulation to his legs and feet.

Kit sighed at her squeak and promptly stopped moving.

Nita scooted up and tucked her head neatly under his chin, her right hand gently twining itself into Kit's tousled brown hair, closing her eyes in bliss as Kit massaged her shoulders. He buried his nose in her sweet-smelling auburn waves, breathing slowly and deeply, neither willing to let go of the other.

Thunder rolled outside, successfully setting off three simultaneous car alarms and making them both jump.

Kit, laughing at his own skittishness, held Nita close, soothing her pounding heart. He sighed. Somehow, he felt no different around Nita now than when they had been working together as partners.

_Well, besides the obvious love_, he chided himself. _There's definitely love_.

Nita opened her incredibly clear gray eyes and glanced up at him, a grin spreading across her elfin features.

"You got that right," she murmured.

Kit had the grace to blush, having forgotten to block his thoughts from Nita.

Nita's grin grew wider, adding a mischievous sparkle to her eyes. "Wanna show me some of that love?"

He must have gone wide-eyed, because Nita groaned. "No, you pervert, not like that…"

Kit blushed again.

Nita rolled her eyes, the sparkle returning to them. "Like this," she whispered, and leaned up.

Before Kit could get a grip on what was happening, their lips were touching.

It was all a wonderful, warm blur from there.

Nita broke the kiss, her eyes dancing with good-natured pleasure and love.

She prodded Kit. "Must _I_ start everything around here?"

Kit rolled his eyes and deigned to answer.

Laughing, she poked him in the stomach and rolled off the couch, only to be pulled back into another, much briefer kiss by Kit.

_No,_ he laughed in her mind.

He pulled away, letting her laugh aloud, then clambered off the couch and followed her into the kitchen.

"What do you _mean_, 'There's nothing edible in the fridge'?"

Nita rolled her eyes, letting the appliance door swing shut behind her. "I don't like the thought of you getting food poisoning from God-knows-what-that-stuff-is."

"Poke it. If it doesn't move off by itself or bite your finger off, I'll eat it."

"Ewwwwwww…"

"What?"

"Kit… it's white and furry. With some green spots here and there. I can't even tell what it once _was_."

"That's because you're not trained. Let me see."

"It's probably older than I am…"

"In terms of what? Maturity? Actual age? Brain power?"

Nita took a swipe at him, but he was far too quick, easily dodging it. What was harder to dodge was the other hand, which caught him in the shoulder and knocked him back a few paces.

"Hey…" Kit protested, grinning. "Be nice… no hitting. Hitting is bad…"

She groaned. "Is _this_ what you're like after a cup of coffee?"

Kit shrugged. "Sure…"

"Oh, I feel so bad for Carmela…"

"Dairine on sugar."

"…she's almost as bad off as I am," Nita finished.

It was Kit's turn to roll his eyes.

**A/N: Hey all…can you believe it? I _haven't_ been wiped off the face of the earth! I haven't pulled a runner, I haven't vanished. Just got a bit caught up in normal junior high life and strife. **

**Hope you all enjoy this… it's going on longer than I expected… haha**

**My sights are on (perhaps) the hundred-review mark for the end of this fic (some ways away) so… yea**

**Thanks so much for staying with this story. Updates will come **_soon_

**-Viper676**


	9. 6 PM Sunday Afternoon

Chapter Ten

_6:00 PM, Sunday Afternoon_

"I told you not to eat it, didn't I?"

Kit, his face an unhealthy white, removed his head from the depths of the toilet bowl, wiping his mouth with a wad of toilet paper.

"It looked fine to me," he croaked, looking at the remnants of lunch floating in the toilet bowl.

"Kit, it was green. Carrots aren't supposed to be green."

"For all I knew, it could have been underripe…"

"If it was, it would have told you not to…"

The rest of her sentence was drowned out as Kit flushed the toilet and got up to wash his hands. Nita rolled her eyes at his back, reluctantly following him to the sink. She cautiously slipped an arm around his waist, being careful not to squeeze him too hard, and placed her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not as skilled with organics as you are," Kit sighed, peering into the mirror at Nita. "But I'm better with manmade stuff. Remember that time with your dad's sprinkler head? I told you not to use the Weld Matrix, but nooooo…"

Nita flushed and squeezed his stomach a little tighter, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Shut _up_, Kit…" she groaned. "Let it go already…"

Kit grinned and continued heedless. "…you ripped up the street when the water main blew… the cops thought it was a mine, you had the papers buzzing for at least a week, Neets… remember what Tom said after he saw your house on the front page of the paper?"

"Kit, shut upppppppppppppp…" Nita whined playfully, wrapping her other arm around him and pulling him close.

He turned in her arms and, gently, pulled her closer to him, feeling her burying her head in his neck. Kit sighed and placed his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes as he breathed in her familiar, comforting smell.

From somewhere under her auburn waves, Nita sighed. "No, I don't remember," she murmured. "What did he say?"

Kit grinned and began rubbing her back.

"We should listen to each other more often."

Nita coughed gently. "Yeah… pity you don't listen…"

Kit laughed and pulled her out of the bathroom.

**A/N: Hey all… sorry I took forever to update…its been busy. Happy almost-200th YW story… and I'll try to update as soon as possible. Middle Earth Chaos's next chapter is almost done, it'll be up soon.**

**Thanks for being mucho patient all… **

**-vyper**


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